Janome HQ’s Instagram LIVE THIS WEDNESDAY 1pm EST

Join us LIVE at 1pm EST @janomehq Instagram page every Wednesday for Janome HQ’s NEW series “Janome’s Magical Machine Mystery Tour” as we highlight a different machine in the Janome line. From entry level to Top of the Line; embroidery machines; longarm quilting machines; sergers and MORE!

What machine and Janome goodies will we talk about this week? It’s a MYSTERY so you must tune in each week for the big reveal! Don’t worry if you can’t make the LIVE presentation, though. They’ll be stored in the IGTV icon on the Janome HQ Instagram Page and later posted as videos on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.

Follow us on the Janome HQ Facebook page and write me at Classes@Janome-Canada.com (copy and paste in a new browser) for more information about upcoming on-line classes and (eventually) on site classes at The Janome Sewing and Learning Centre in Oakville, ON; Janome Canada’s Head Quarters.

Happy Sewing and #sharethejanomelove!

Scrap-busting 101

Scraps. You either love them, or hate them. Personally, I LOVE working with scraps as they challenge my creativity and I hate seeing what I perceive as good things going to waste. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is one man’s treasure, so what you do with your scraps is definitely a personal preference.

With many of us sewing up a storm these last few months, you might be left with more scraps than usual, and the age ole question remains; do you throw them away or keep them? If you keep them, what do you do with them? Here’s a few tips which may give you some ideas how to tame your pile of scraps.

After I cut out the pieces of whatever project I’m working on, I take a few extra minutes to square off the edges of the fabric so they’re relatively straight, and not in odd shapes and angles from the pieces I just cut, as in the photo below.

I do this for whatever fabric I’m using; quilting cottons, or garment fabrics. What I trim off can be either thrown away or collected to be stuffed in a dog bed, etc.

If it’s garment fabric, I’ll then neatly fold the fabric to store in those plastic drawer towers readily available from the hardware and discount stores. The clear drawers let me see what’s in the there, and I sort my garment fabrics according to colour, and by fabric type; knits, denims, etc.

If the fabric I’m working with is a quilting cotton and not a really big piece, I’ll cut it up into strips and squares in sizes I commonly use, which again, is personal preference.

I cut strips 1.5″, 2″ and 2.5″ wide. I do the same for batting scraps. This way, I have strips ready to go whenever I want to make a Jelly-Roll rug, or Log Cabin quilt, for example. I keep the batting strips in a big plastic bag with a roll of fusible batting tape, which is a super quick and easy way to join pieces of batting together.

This is a great project to do a rainy Saturday, or later at night when you want to be productive, but don’t want to do anything big; don’t want to think too much. It’s amazing how much you can get done by spending a few extra minutes here and there.

Now, I know I’m a little fanatical about my scraps, so I save anything 1.5″ or over. It may sound obsessive, but I like making Postage Stamp quilts and Cross-Stitch quilts, as I made for my eldest sister’s birthday a few years ago. Pieces are cut 1.5″ square, then finish 1″.

Other sizes of squares I cut are 2″, 2.5″, 3″, 4″, 5″ and 6″, all using my 6″ square up ruler and rotary cutter. I cut batting squares 3″, 4″, 5″ and 6″ so they’re ready to go for mug rugs, rag quilts and for when I want to practice free-motion quilting, or ruler quilting, for example.

Storage is a big challenge for most of us, so I LOVE shallow drawers to keep everything tucked away, but easily accessible. Things get lost if the drawer is too deep! I have 7 of these fabulous red metal drawer units. The four which are under my sewing table house my presser feet, needles, bobbins; anything I need for the machine(s) (yes, I have a few, lol!) thread, etc.

The other 3 are devoted to the various sizes of scraps. Each drawer is labeled, so I can quickly grab what I need. For example, I have two drawers for 2.5″ dark strips and two drawers for 2.5″ light strips. Everything is neatly folded so it doesn’t need pressing, or maybe just a quick touch-up with the iron. I can whip up a scrappy Log-Cabin quilt in a day by having an organized head-start! The scraps in the photo below look much neater and more accessible; more usable than the scraps in the first photo, don’t you agree?

A fun little project to make with scraps is mug rugs using the Janome Beading Foot to couch yarns around the edge instead of binding them.

For more on the Beading Foot, and other fabulous Janome presser feet, check out our Janome HQ You Tube channel for our series “A to Z with Janome” and “Janome’s Awesome Accessories Countdown”

Click on the link HERE for a quick video I made about busting up scraps and staying organized. You’ll have far more room, too, with everything neatly tucked away and more room for more sewing goodies! (I hope you’ll forgive the state of my room in the video not being organized and full of clutter – we were under renovations at the time so everything literally piled up during the process!)

For information about upcoming Scrap-busting classes on-line and at the Janome Sewing And Learning Centre in Oakville, ON, please write me at Classes@Janome-Canada.Com.

Happy Sewing!

Great news – Coming soon: another FREE trial offer of our Artistic Digitizer software!!

 

YES!! We are thrilled to give you the news that we have another LIMITED TIME FREE TRIAL OFFER for our Artistic Digitizer software coming soon……back due to popular demand. 

Some of you missed our free trial offer back in April and May. We know you were disappointed so your second chance is coming soon!!

Please do NOT delay –  Apply for your code as soon as the free trial offer opens. Details coming soon about where and when you can apply for your code for the free trial……this is an advance notification for you to get ready!

 

There will be a limited time opportunity to apply so be sure to watch this Janome Life blog and our http://www.janome.ca website for further details of when the offer will open for applications for the code.  We highly recommend you apply timeously so that you have time to play with the software and consider purchasing the software  – there will be wonderful discount pricing on Artistic Digitizer!

The code given to you for this free trial will EXPIRE on 31st October. So you will need to use the software before that date …… plan ahead now! 

 

Please read the details which are coming soon very carefully so that you do not miss out and can take full advantage of this incredible offer.

All through the month of October, we will publish many posts on Artistic Digitizer so that you have lots of support and education input and inspiration to try out various features and techniques in this software. Please be sure to FOLLOW Janome Life blog so that you do not miss any of these posts.

 

Please also be sure to join the Artistic Digitizer Facebook group where Anne Hein, Software Specialist Educator, is sure to have lots of creative Artistic Digitizer information for you all. This is an invaluable resource for Artistic Digitizer.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS…COMING SOON.

Saturday Sewing: Back To School Knits!

Imagine this scenario: You’ve braved the mall for the perfect first day of school outfit, and the only shirt they like is way over your budget. (I’m sure this has happened in many homes this month!) I set out to create a garment that would put any store-bought garment to shame and that only my girl would have. I had so much fun making this shirt for her!

I used the Hudson pattern from Hey June Handmade and some custom printed fabric out of my stash that my daughter loved. I did have one problem tho: the panel was too small, and I only had a large scrap of the matching print. So I appliqued the panel to the front piece, and distressed it with some cuts in a circular shape to match the image on the panel. Then I used the HP2 foot to sew it to the front pattern piece.

My hope is that the raw edges will curl after it’s washed!

After I had the front piece done, I set about to constructing the rest. My Janome AirThread Serger made this quick and easy. Something that people find challenging is getting the seams to line up properly when stretching one side and sewing at a higher speed. I discovered an awesome technique for sewing cuffs. Follow along in the photos below:

1. Lay your cuff piece in front of you, right side up.

2. Fold in half long edges together, then in half again so that you have 4 raw edges.

3. Sew along the raw edge, and flip one side over so that you have a loop of fabric.

4. Now when you go to sew the cuff to the sleeve, you only have two seams to match up.

This method of sewing the cuffs together makes it so much easier to have perfect alignment for your seams.

The next thing I wanted to do on the garment, to bump it from home-made to hand-crafted, was to make buttonholes for the sparkly drawstring I found. Buttonholes on knit fabric are way easier than you think! I stabilized the back with a scrap of interfacing and then marked my placement lines.

The buttonhole foot makes it so easy to create a buttonhole on many different types of fabric. And no button was needed to mark the width, I simply measured how big I wanted my buttonhole to be and opened the back of the foot to the same amount.

Don’t forget to pull the buttonhole lever down from behind the needle threader!

Once the drawstring channel was sewn (with sparkly thread to match the sparkly string!), I attached the cowl piece to the main body of the garment, and voila, the perfect one of a kind garment!

So don’t be afraid to up your game when it comes to garments. You’ll be glad you did!

Until next time,

JanomeGirl

Are you happy with the mask pattern you have been using?

I’m only asking as I was not particularly happy with the patterns I used……..until now!!   Just like you, I have made my fair share of masks using different patterns and sewing construction methods. Some just were plain uncomfortable or fogged up my glasses and others were fiddly and time consuming to make. So I was not making many masks until now when it became imperative I do so.

But guess what I stumbled across recently when I needed to make more masks in a hurry as I was going away on a short vacation. IN-THE-HOOP masks! Yes! Every last stitch is done in the hoop and not only that, they are neat, look professional and are quickly made (10 minutes total in 2 quick hoopings). I just made over 3 dozen and had quite the assembly line going using the GR hoop of my Janome MC15000 for hooping #1 and my Janome RE18 Essential hoop for hooping #2.  While the machine was stitching I was removing stabilizer from the previous hooping, pressing and hooping up for the next hooping. It worked brilliantly…lots got done!  Another bonus: it uses up scraps as you only need approx 2 pieces of fabric 8×12 inches for the adult large masks and a bit less for the smaller masks. The scrap stash is slowly getting busted. Elastic? I have  almost a life time supply of elastic so I was good there!

And a word about these designs: design #1 has you stitch the 2 halves of the mask – fully lined with elastic sewed in very neatly and securely. These 2 halves are arranged  side by side but they are not connected. SO please don’t get bent out of shape if you don’t have the Janome MC15000, MB7 or MC550E with large enough hoops for the adult sized masks. Yes, our dealers will, of course,  be very happy to show you these machines with larger hoops! However, IF you own embroidery software or our AcuDesign App, simply chop design #1 in half and stitch out the 2 halves in your smaller hoop. You can use smaller scraps in this instance. You would then have 3 hoopings  instead of 2 but you will be able to make these masks just as easily.

Design # 2 has you stitch the 2 halves of the fully lined and elasticated mask (which you have trimmed and flipped out to the right side + pressed) together down the centre front seam. This could probably be done in the SQ14 hoop although I used my RE18 hoop as I did 2 masks in 1 hooping: I just brought the design into the Edit screen of my machine, then copied it, mirror flipped it and moved the 2 designs to each side of the hoop. This saved on time and stabilizer so I was happy. The RE18 hoop is a very similar size to the 5×7 hoop which is pretty standard. I could also have stitched FOUR  masks together in one hooping if I had used the GR hoop (MC15000) or the RE36B hoop (MC550E) but I was happy doing it the way I did : 2 GR hoopings = 4 half masks and then joining those together in 1x RE hooping = 2 completed masks. You will be amazed at how quickly and neatly these come together.

The free download information below includes a video which you can watch. I took step by step photos as I made my masks which you can also follow below. Please read or watch this first as I was scratching my head a bit until I opened up the designs at the machine and stitched out both hoopings. Then it made a lot more sense.

Step 1: hoop up your stabilizer. Here is sticky stabilizer where the paper sheet has been peeled back to reveal the stickiness. You can also use regular tear away stabilizer. Not cutaway as I think it would make the mask less “breathable” as you wont remove it but that is up to you. I joined my stabilizer down the middle as I only had a fairly narrow roll and was using up what I had. Worked perfectly with the built – in stickiness.

Step 2 is to stitch the placement line directly onto the stabilizer so you know where to position the fabric. Not shown here.
Step 3: lay the outer fabric of your mask down onto the stabilizer making sure it covers and extends a little beyond the placement lines. PLEASE a note I stitched in black for photographic purposes. It showed through the fabric and I would have used white or yellow thread under normal circumstances,
Step 4 is to tape the elastic in position with embroidery tape between the 2 halves stitched and ensuring the loops don’t get caught up in the seam to come in next step. I used pieces of elastic 6,5 inches for me but you will need to figure out the sizing you need.
Step 5 is to stitch the elastic in place

Step 6 is to lay the lining fabric for the mask down on top of the hoop covering it fully and RIGHT sides together.

Step 7 is to stitch the seams around 3 sides of the 2 masks. It does it all for you. No guesswork!

Step 8: Remove from the hoop and tear away all the stabilizer from the back

Step 9:  cut the 2 halves of the mask apart and then cut close to the seam leaving about an 1/8 of an inch along all the triple stitched seams. At the centre front or open parts, cut on top/ right along the stitching as this will be where you open out the mask halves and flip to the right side.

Cut and ready for step 10

Step 10: turn right side out. Poke corners near the elastic carefully And press so seams are even and flat.

Step11: pin the 2 halves of the mask together So that it is very well lined up. Ensure the curved stem stitching is exactly matched. The directions on the download is to staple together but I prefer to pin. Keep the pins away from where it will stitch in hooping #2.

Step 12: Hoop up another hoop with stabilizer. I used the RE18 hoop and copied the design so I could stitch together 2 masks with one hooping – saves time and stabilizer. Step13: Stitch the placement lines – these are VERY important so be sure to stitch with a colour you can see. It won’t be part of the mask so any colour will work.

Step 14: One Mask stitched
Stylus points to the little marking where you line up the pinned masks to get the best position for your centre front mask seam.

Showing how the second mask is lined up with the marking shown in the pic above

Step 15: All the embroidery is now done so it can be unhooped and the stabilizer all torn away.

Turn out

Step16: trim the excess fabric right up against the stitching. It is pretty secure so no need to leave a seam allowance. Trim away any loose threads. Turn out to the right side and press the seam.

VOILA! 2 masks ready to wear. These really do stitch out quickly and super neatly so you can build up a good supply of them for your family and friends.

Do remember that these are not medical grade masks and should NOT be regarded as full protection against Covid 19. But they will protect others and will stop you from inadvertently touching your face. The BEST is to wash your hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizer after touching anything not within your “bubble”. ( this includes grocery store carts and parcels and mail delivered to your home! ) And PLEASE be responsible and try to protect yourself and others by following health recommendations. We currently notice the numbers creeping up again – which is NOT good. Let’s NOT contribute to a second wave and possible full lock down again. We are in this together!

And here is the link (below) to the designs for the in-the-hoop mask I found so quick and easy to make AND it fits comfortably. Thank you to The Deer’s Embroidery legacy for making this design available to us in 4 sizes: Adult large; Adult S/M;  Child large and child small. Download from the link below, do one test stitch out to check for the best size for you. I found Adult large was true to size for hubby and adult SM was great for me. I guess kiddies sizes may need tweaking depending on what age we are talking about. But do a test and you can resize up or down 20% on the edit screen of your machine. HINT: save the files with a name you will know for later. Eg a child’s name or something like that. Otherwise it gets very confusing if you have masses of designs as  they all look very similar.
Their designs include an little E monogram. I omitted these 2 colour changes. If you have embroidery software you can delete it or add your own logo or monogram instead. 

Free In-The-Hoop Face Mask Embroidery Design & Tutorial

Note from the Editor: The machine shown in the video on the link to the embroidery designs above is not a Janome but we DO have a multi-needle embroidery machine – the Janome MB7 although you don’t really need anything more than 1 colour throughout for this design (I used white cotton thread) unless you want to embroider a little emblem or logo like they do. I used the Janome Mc15000 as mentioned above but you can make these masks on the Janome MC550E and other Janome embroidery machines provided the designs will fit in the hoops. See my tips above if you don’t have large hoops with your Janome embroidery machine. You actually do not need hoops as large as the one shown in the video – that just uses more stabilizer and is not necessary at all. 

Janome on Global TV Morning show tomorrow Friday 18 September

For more information about the Janome Skyline S3, check out these 3 links

Feature sheet .

Our website Skyline S3 page.

See more tomorrow on the Global TV Morning show 

What is ACUFIL quilting?

I get asked this every so often: AcuFil is the name Janome uses for our very clever system of using your embroidery hoop to QUILT your quilts. In other words, the next best thing to a computerized longarm quilting machine with software! Simply use our AcuFil software to create a myriad of quilting designs (outline or quilting stitch designs work much better than stitch fill designs).

Acufil Quilting kit for Janome MC12000 – we still have stock of this. If you ask very nicely, your Janome Canada dealer may be able to get you a special clearance deal?! Going….going…..gone!

Then hoop up the whole quilt sandwich using our very well designed AcuFil hoops and big magnets. No screws, just big magnets and a hard template to position the quilt easily. There are different sized Acufil hoops. Ask your local Janome dealer what options you have: MC11000 had 2 Acufil hoops: one rectangular and one square; The MC12000 and MC15000 use the ASQ22 hoop and the MC500E and MC550E also have their own AcuFil quilting kits with square hoop. Acufil quilting hoops are not available for any of our other embroidery machines.

 

On the Mc15000, the Acufil Tool software is included when you install the CD of Horizon Link Suite software. Whatever model and kit you have, the software needs to be installed on your PC so that you can work with it and create wonderful quilting-in the-hoop!

And here is one of the Acufil quilted blocks in a our series of peacock quilts. ASQ22 hoop on the Janome MC15000 was used.  Some were done with aqua coloured thread so the texture was seen more than the actual quilting. Here a low contrast thread colour was used a light lime/yellow) to show up the quilting a little more.

A quilting panel exclusively quilted in the hoop using AcuFil quilting. The MC15000 ASQ hoop was used throughout. And mulitcolour Madiera Aeroquilt thread was used for the stitching

Each group of 4 blocks on this pre-printed panel was quilted using the block pattern on the fabric to position and hoop very easily. Then all the individual blocks around the perimeter of the quilt were quilted in groups of 2 – again, very easy to position and line them up accurately using the hard template and magnets on the AcuFil hoop.

How will you quilt your next quilt? 

Continental M7 Professional Workbook

In order to make the most of the Continental M7 Professional, Janome wants its customers to learn as much as possible about the possibilities. Yes the machine comes with the user manual which is very explanatory and well illustrated, but it only describes the use of the features of the device.

In order to help our loyal clientele, Janome presents a new workbook… Continental M7 Workbook!

This one hundred and twenty-eight (128) page workbook has been developed to give you a better understanding of your Continental M7 Professional sewing machine and to help you use all its features with complete confidence.

The best way to learn your machine is to sew. There are instructions and patterns for twenty square quilts, which will familiarize you with the functions of your Continental M7 Professional. In section twenty-three (23) of this workbook, you will find instructions for assembling them into a quilt.

In the list of materials and at the beginning of each section, Janome has listed the accessories and techniques you will need to use. It allows you to use this workbook as a reference guide to go back to it and quickly find the instructions for a particular technique.

Throughout your learning, you will enjoy doing practical exercises as well as trying some fun techniques to help you make the best use of your new machine. Whatever your level of sewing, this workbook will be a reference guide to which you can refer at any time to learn something new or simply to refresh your memory.

Check with your local Janome authorized dealer to order your Continental M7 Professional Workbook.  These have now arrived but are selling like hot cakes so be sure you order one from your Janome Canada dealer ASAP. 

Originally Published on Vie Janome by Céline Ross, Edited by Anne Stitcher and Liz Thompson.

Scrap-Busting for Saturday sewing??

Now here is a great Saturday sewing project you could get going on?! Or planning to do after you have attended our online class on this topic. 

When we have created a beautiful project there are always scraps of fabric left over. Fabric is expensive and we don’t like to waste it. So what do you do with it? You can create something amazing even with tiny pieces.

This quilt is made entirely of scraps of fabric that most people would throw away and fill the landfill unnecessarily.

This is just one of many ideas we will be sharing at our Scrap Busting Class. Contact your Janome Dealer to find out when they have scheduled our new online classes. These classes are ONLY being offered through our local Janome Canada dealers so if you would like to attend classes like this stash busting/scrap busting class, be sure to let your dealer know that you would like to participate. Class time is approx. 2 hours per class where you will learn about projects you can create  using your Janome sewing machine and accessories. We are looking forward to seeing you online.

And when you know how to do this you can add these scrap busting projects to your Saturday sewing To do List! 

Happy Sewing.

How to Get an Accurate ¼” seam with the Janome M7

Quilters are obsessed with stitching a perfect ¼” seam since this is the seam allowance that you use when you’re quilting and, if you don’t get it right, it can affect your whole project! Lucky for us, the Janome Continental M7 (and other Janome models) offers you several different choices when it comes to stitching an accurate ¼” seam. In this blogpost, I want to show you the various options you have on the Janome Continental M7.

There are 4 different feet that you can use to get a perfect ¼” seam when stitching with the Janome M7:

• the ¼” seam foot O (O foot)
• the ¼” seam foot O (without guide) (O foot without guide)
• the Professional Grade Foot HP (HP foot)
• the AcuFeed Flex Professional Grade foot HP2 (HP2 foot)

HP2 foot, HP foot (on machine), O foot, and O foot without guide

Let me explain the set-up for each of these feet.

Let’s start with the O feet. Both the O foot and the O foot without guide are set up the same way. These feet are exactly the same except that one has a metal guide along the edge of the foot and the other one doesn’t. I’ll let you guess which is which 😉

The O foot and the O foot without guide

When stitching a ¼” seam, you’ll be using a straight stitch so you’ll want to install the straight stitch needle plate on the Janome M7 when using either of the O feet.

Straight stitch needle plate and O feet

The nice thing about this machine is how easy it is to install and switch out one of the 3 needle plates that are included with the purchase of the Janome M7. All you have to do is press the lock out button

and then press on the needle plate icon on this same screen.

This is the message you’ll receive once you’ve pressed the needle plate icon

The needle plate will automatically lift up and you can easily remove it and replace it with another one. Installation is just as easy: simply install the appropriate needle plate and it will automatically lock in place. No worries about chipping your nail polish when working with the needle plates on the Janome M7! 😀

The HP needle plate has lifted and is ready for removal

With either one of the O feet installed on the Janome M7 and the straight stitch needle plate installed, it’s time to choose the appropriate settings on the Janome M7.

As I’m a quilter, I typically choose the patchwork setting on the Janome M7. From the main menu, press on the t-shirt icon – the sewing application menu – to access the various specialty menus.

The t-shirt icon/ sewing application menu is to the far right of the main screen

This is the quilting menu screen

Choose “patchwork piecing” and you will then be able to select the “straight stitch” option and you’ll be all set up to do some ¼” stitching.

There are 2 other feet included with the Janome M7 that you can use when stitching a ¼” seam: the HP foot and the HP2 foot. Both of these feet use the Professional Grade Needle Plate HP (HP needle plate) so you’ll need to install it when stitching with either of these feet.

The HP2 and HP foot with the HP needle plate

The difference between these two feet is that the HP2 foot works with the AcuFeed Flex Plus system. It really helps to keep the fabric pieces advancing at the same pace to avoid any pushing of the top fabric. Be sure that you hook the HP2 foot into the opening on the back of the Janome M7 so that it will engage with the AcuFeed Flex Plus system.

How to install the HP2 foot at the back of the Janome M7

You will also need to press the dual feed device to activate this system.

Press this icon to activate the dual feed system

There are several setting options when using the HP foot or the HP2 foot to stitch a ¼” seam. I like to use the Utility 1 stitch and this is the stitch that is automatically chosen for you. Only those stitches which can be used with the HP feet and needle plate combination will be available for you to choose.

Utility 1 setting for the HP or HP2 foot

I like to use the HP2 foot with the AcuFeed Flex Plus system activated when I’m stitching a ¼” seam on a long piece of fabric, such as when I’m adding borders or binding. It’s also a great choice if you’re a sewist and want to add topstitching to a project.

For piecing an accurate ¼” seam, I like to use the HP foot and the HP needle plate combination. I find this gives me the best results.

I like how the Janome M7 gives you several choices when you want to stitch a ¼” seam. Whether you’re a quilter or a sewist, you’ll find one of these options perfect for your project.

Happy creating from Kim Jamieson-Hirst of Chatterbox Quilts, a Janome Canada Artisan in Calgary, Alberta.